From their surprise birth on a quiet afternoon to the exciting day of their public debut, this is the behind-the-scenes story of the Smithsonian National Zoo’s striped superstars: Maharani, Melati and Gunter, as they learn to obey their mother’s commands, get their first shots and discover their new home.

It’s a rare peek into the lives of tiger cubs, from birth to first steps and first swim. Did you know that all tigers (an endangered species) have a unique set of stripes, like fingerprints? Or that their tongues are so rough, they could lick paint off a house?